In Thailand's northern region — ‘Lanna’ which means ‘a million rice fields’, the celebration of a couple's public commitment to one another offers an open window onto Lanna's unique culture.
In traditional Lanna weddings, Thais normally divide the proceedings into two main functions. First comes the suu khaw, a ceremonial visit to the bride's parents to ask for their daughter's hand. Whether at the parents' home or in another appointed place, the ritual involves the presentation of engraved silver bowls containing fresh flowers meant to honor the family's ancestors, a symbolic sum of money representing a dowry and a general wish for prosperity in the form of fresh betel nuts, three dozen leaves from auspicious plants, plus bags of sesame seeds, rice and beans.
The second stage of the Lanna wedding observance involves a procession to a place selected for the marriage ceremony itself. Here a maw phawn, local elder versed in the ways of the all-important Thai spirit world, will symbolically link the couple together by tying a length of sacred white cotton string between the left wrist of the groom and right wrist of the bride. A more literal tying of the knot — in Northern Thai the ritual is known as mat meu or 'wrist-binding' — could hardly be envisaged.
In Lampang, a Northern Thai city renowned during Thailand's teak empire years for its plentiful work elephants, wealthy families amplified on the mat meu procession. Instead of approaching the venue for the wedding ceremony on foot, the bride and groom mounted a lavishly decorated tusker, Thailand's most auspicious animal. Slowly ambling down Lampang's historic streets, these elephant-back wedding processions must have been a delight to all who were fortunate enough to grab a roadside view.
The Thai Elephant Conservation Center, along with the city of Lampang, has revived the phi-thi taeng-ngan bon lang chang, or wedding ceremony on elephant-back. To date, over 50 couples have participated in this magnificent Lanna-style elephant-back wedding ceremony.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Chiang Mai office would like to encourage couples who are either planning their wedding as or planning to re-new their wedding vows to consider taking part in this memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Lanna-style wedding on elephant back package is being offered at a price of 40,000 baht per couple, while the St Valentine’s Day package for couples wishing to re-new their wedding vows is 4,000 baht per couple.
The 40,000 baht wedding package (per couple) includes:
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Lanna costumes and makeup for the wedding retinue |
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Accommodation at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center on the night of 14 February |
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The Lanna-style wedding on elephant back (phi-thi taeng-ngan bon lang chang) |
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Wedding reception |
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